San Antonio Spurs’ Julian Champagnie is emerging as a versatile asset, enhancing his all-around game.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs‘ Julian Champagnie is the team’s marksman from the three-point line, connecting on 38% from beyond the arc, the second-highest of his career. His role on the team is to be ready to shoot the ball whenever he is open.
“For this team right now, my job is to shoot the basketball, be open and space the floor,” he said.
And he excels in that role.
His effective field goal percentage is currently at 55%, and in close games with the score less than five points, he is a threat, shooting 42% from the three-point line.
His shooting creates space when he is passed the ball at the three-point line, connecting on 97% three-point assisted field goals.
However, for all his lethal three-point threat, there is more to his game, and he’s been showing it.
“I think one thing I’m trying to work on is just catch-and-shoot reads,” he said.
Champagnie has seen a significant improvement this season in catch-and-shoot situations.
He’s shooting 39% in catch-and-shoot situations and averaging 6.4 points per catch-and-shoot through 16 games, and he is proving to be just as effective in catch-and-shoot plays from the three-point line, averaging 39% as well.
In other words, defenses have to respect him as an effective shooter in the catch-and-shoot, which bodes well for his teammates who find him on the perimeter, ready to fire, and for the team overall in the space he creates.
And he is aware that if his shot isn’t there, he is just as effective in making the right play.
“If I can’t catch-and-shoot, then drive past, whether it’s a layup, floater, kick out,” he said. “Just making the right plays.”
There is so much more to Champagnie than outside shooting, from rebounding to taking care of the ball.
This season, he’s recorded 12 rebounds in a loss to the Suns on Nov. 23 and is averaging a career-high 4.8 rebounds and 10.4 points per game.
Over the last three games, he has been recording 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 turnovers, proving he can do much more away from the three-point line.
Defensively, he is making an impact.
According to Cleaning The Glass, he has a steal percentage of 1.5%, ranking him in the 62nd percentile among forwards in the NBA. He also ranks high among forwards in Defensive Rebounding off missed opponent free throws in the 92nd percentile.
“I think that’s just a part of my game that I want everybody to know that I can do, and I could continue to expand on it,” he said.